Israeli arrested in Poland, charged with obtaining forged German passport
An Israeli was arrested in Warsaw, Poland over the weekend and charged with obtaining a forged German passport that was allegedly used in the liquidation of Hamas terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in January. The German government has asked that the Israeli be extradited to Germany, Mabhouh's family has asked that he be extradited to Dubai (Dubai says it's not interested), and Israel has asked that he be returned to Israel. The man, using the name Uri Brodsky, is suspected of working for Mossad in Germany and helping to issue a fake German passport to a member of the Mossad operation that allegedly killed Hamas agent Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in January, a spokesman for the German federal prosecutor's office told The Associated Press.Haaretz reports that the word of 'Brodsky's arrest was leaked by the German government to prevent Israel and Poland from making a deal for his release.
Brodsky was arrested in early June upon his arrival in Poland because of a European arrest warrant issued by Germany which is now seeking his extradition, the spokesman said, declining to be named in line with department policy.
The spokesman had no estimate of how long it could take for Brodsky to be extradited from Poland to Germany, saying the matter is now in the hands of the Polish authorities. "If Brodsky agrees, the extradition could take a few days, but that isn't likely," the spokesman said.
In Warsaw, Monika Lewandowska, a spokeswoman for Polish prosecutors, confirmed that the suspect, identified only as Uri B., was arrested at the city's international airport on June 4. She told the AP that the arrest warrant was made in connection with the murder of a Hamas member in Dubai.
"The suspect appeared before a Polish court on June 6, and was ordered to remain in temporary arrest for up to 40 days," she said. Lewandowska had no information on his possible extradition.
In Israel, the Foreign Ministry said without elaborating that it was aware of the man's fate. "At the moment, we're looking into that like any other Israeli who has been arrested, and he's getting consular treatment," spokesman Andy David said.
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The German news weekly Der Spiegel reported that the arrest in Poland already has led to some diplomatic friction. The Israeli Embassy has urged Polish authorities not to extradite Brodsky, the magazine reports in its issue to be published Monday.
Germany's Foreign Ministry had no comment on the case and referred to an ongoing judicial investigation by the federal prosecutor's office. The country's top investigating unit deals with all cases affecting internal or external security, including terrorism or espionage.
A German weekly's report on the arrest of an alleged Israeli Mossad agent in Poland thwarted an emerging deal for his release, Polish sources told Haaretz. As a result, both Israel and Poland suspect the story was leaked to Der Spiegel by German officials.'Brodsky' is apparently connected to the issuance of a German passport in the name of a Bnei Brak rabbi.
Many questions remain unanswered in the affair. It is still not known, for instance, whether Uri Brodsky is the detainee's real name, or what role he allegedly played in Germany: Was he the Mossad's permanent representative in Germany, or did he come to Germany especially to secure the false passport, issued in the name of a real Israeli citizen, Michael Bodenheimer - a Bnei Brak rabbi who is entitled to a German passport because his grandparents were German?And we may have a Mossad foul-up here as well.
A spokesman for Germany's federal prosecution told reporters that the offenses of which Brodsky is suspected - obtaining a document by fraud and membership in a foreign intelligence agency - carry a maximum sentence of five years.
Brodsky is not suspected of involvement in the actual hit on Mabhouh, and is not on the list of 36 suspects in that case that Dubai has given to Interpol.
Dubai's police chief, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, announced in an interview with The National newspaper yesterday that his country has no intention of requesting Brodsky's extradition to Dubai - even though Mabhouh's family has asked Dubai to do so.
In contrast, another paper, Gulf News, reported yesterday that Dubai is still considering requesting Brodsky's extradition. But even if Dubai made such a request, it seems unlikely that either Germany or Poland would comply.
One complication in Israel's efforts to secure Brodsky's release is that Germany apparently issued a European arrest warrant for him rather than an Interpol "red alert."Hmmm.
Nick Kaufman, an attorney who specializes in international law, explained to Haaretz that a red alert merely means a suspect is wanted for questioning, and is considered nonbinding. Therefore, states can exercise some discretion over whether to comply, and the suspect can also fight the extradition in court.
However, Kaufman continued, a European arrest warrant must be honored by other European Union members, and is not even subject to judicial review in the arresting country.
Brodsky himself told the Polish authorities that he is a businessman and completely innocent of the suspicions against him.
If he is a Mossad agent, as claimed in the foreign press, the question must be asked of why the spy agency allowed him to travel to an EU member state, regardless of whether he was on personal or Mossad business?
Did the Mossad not know about the German warrant? Did it not care? Or did it simply have no choice, given its relatively small cadre of experienced agents, but to reuse some of those involved in killing Mabhouh?
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:34 AM
1 Comments:
There is NO proof he was involved in anything other than allegedly producing a forged passport. Hardly the stuff to get worried about. Even Dubai has NO proof he had anything to do with al-Mahbouh's death. And that case will stay cold.
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